Elijah Lovejoy Criticism of American Society: Elijah Lovejoy was a major supporter of the abolition of slavery and a member of the Anti-Slavery Society. He was a very strong minded individual who voiced his opinion loudly in newspapers. His main goal was to diminish slavery in the United States. He was always against slavery but not always for its total abolition. When he was younger he simply wanted it to slowly die away but after a slave was wrongfully convicted of murder and burned by an angry mob in his home town his views changed. He moved to Illinois after mobs threatened him and his family and he became a leader in the anti-slavery society of Illinois. His goal was to voice his opinion in his news papers and to urge people and the government towards the abolition of slavery.
Methods: Elijah Lovejoy moved to St. Louis in 1827 where he started a school for children. Using the profits he made he bought half the interest of the St. Louis Times and became the chief editor of the newspaper. He began to voice his opinion on issues such as slavery and his dislike of President Jackson. He began to grow in popularity but was swept into the religious revival in 1832. He went to New York and became a Presbyterian Minister. He then moved back to St. Louis and started up the religious and political newspaper “The Observer”. He didn’t really address the issue of slavery too much until a major conflict arose. A black slave was tried for murder and then burned by a mob. This saddened Lovejoy greatly. To top it off the judge claimed that none of the people in the mob should be convicted of any felonies. Lovejoy instantly began publishing articles opposing local political leaders and slavery. Mob threats eventually forced him to move to Illinois, not before his printing press was destroyed. In Illinois he joined the anti-slavery society and continued to express his opinions against slavery in his newspaper. He was attacked by mobs two more times; both mobs destroyed his printing presses. He was granted new presses however, and continued to print his articles against slavery. He was eventually asked to leave by political leaders but said he was using his right of speech and refused to budge. A forth mob attacked him and he was shot five times and died. His press was once again destroyed but his voice lived on.
Evaluation of Success: Elijah Lovejoy and the other members of the anti-slavery society were very successful in getting their message out to the people. Abolitionism spread through the northern part of the country and slavery grew into a very big issue. Elijah Lovejoy was also successful by showing his freedom of speech. There are now monuments in St. Louis and Illinois in honor of him and there is an award given to a journalist each year that is fearless in expressing their opinion. Lovejoy’s determination to express himself was very powerful and his death is marked as the first unofficial battle of the Civil War. His death also showed the tension in the U.S. over the issue of slavery.
Practicality of Goals and Methods: The goal of the anti-slavery society was the abolishment of slavery which was very appropriate of the time period. Controversy over slave vs. free states had already begun and the nation was headed towards civil war. The method used by Elijah Lovejoy and others was also very practical. They were a non-violent group. Lovejoy fought with words and print instead of guns and knives. The anti-slavery society made petitions for the government and held assemblies to share their thoughts with the public. These methods got word out quickly to the people without the use of violence which was very important at this time in history.
Ways the Government Could Have Helped:The Federal government could lend a major hand by abolishing slavery. This would grant Lovejoy his goal and possibly more support. The local government could also have helped by intervening and stopping the mobs that attacked Lovejoy. Some form of protection should have been put in place in order to allow Lovejoy to safely express his opinion. The government could also lend money to help fund the anti-slavery society would make it much bigger and more powerful which would allow it to spread quicker throughout the country.
References: Owen Lovejoy: Brother of Elijah Lovejoy. He was a minister and a congressman. He was an abolitionist like his brother and worked on the Underground Railroad. He took over the Illinois anti-slavery society after Elijah died.
Lewis Tappan: He established the first anti-slavery society in New York. He had very strong morals and was very much against slavery. He donated much of his own money to the organization. Tappan was also a lawyer and defended the Africans in the Amistad controversy which eventually made it to the Supreme Court.
"Elijah Lovejoy." African American Registry -- Your Source for African American History. African American Registry, 2006. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://www.aaregistry.com/detail.php?id=1471>.
Criticism of American Society: Elijah Lovejoy was a major supporter of the abolition of slavery and a member of the Anti-Slavery Society. He was a very strong minded individual who voiced his opinion loudly in newspapers. His main goal was to diminish slavery in the United States. He was always against slavery but not always for its total abolition. When he was younger he simply wanted it to slowly die away but after a slave was wrongfully convicted of murder and burned by an angry mob in his home town his views changed. He moved to Illinois after mobs threatened him and his family and he became a leader in the anti-slavery society of Illinois. His goal was to voice his opinion in his news papers and to urge people and the government towards the abolition of slavery.
Methods: Elijah Lovejoy moved to St. Louis in 1827 where he started a school for children. Using the profits he made he bought half the interest of the St. Louis Times and became the chief editor of the newspaper. He began to voice his opinion on issues such as slavery and his dislike of President Jackson. He began to grow in popularity but was swept into the religious revival in 1832. He went to New York and became a Presbyterian Minister. He then moved back to St. Louis and started up the religious and political newspaper “The Observer”. He didn’t really address the issue of slavery too much until a major conflict arose. A black slave was tried for murder and then burned by a mob. This saddened Lovejoy greatly. To top it off the judge claimed that none of the people in the mob should be convicted of any felonies. Lovejoy instantly began publishing articles opposing local political leaders and slavery. Mob threats eventually forced him to move to Illinois, not before his printing press was destroyed. In Illinois he joined the anti-slavery society and continued to express his opinions against slavery in his newspaper. He was attacked by mobs two more times; both mobs destroyed his printing presses. He was granted new presses however, and continued to print his articles against slavery. He was eventually asked to leave by political leaders but said he was using his right of speech and refused to budge. A forth mob attacked him and he was shot five times and died. His press was once again destroyed but his voice lived on.
Evaluation of Success: Elijah Lovejoy and the other members of the anti-slavery society were very successful in getting their message out to the people. Abolitionism spread through the northern part of the country and slavery grew into a very big issue. Elijah Lovejoy was also successful by showing his freedom of speech. There are now monuments in St. Louis and Illinois in honor of him and there is an award given to a journalist each year that is fearless in expressing their opinion. Lovejoy’s determination to express himself was very powerful and his death is marked as the first unofficial battle of the Civil War. His death also showed the tension in the U.S. over the issue of slavery.
Practicality of Goals and Methods: The goal of the anti-slavery society was the abolishment of slavery which was very appropriate of the time period. Controversy over slave vs. free states had already begun and the nation was headed towards civil war. The method used by Elijah Lovejoy and others was also very practical. They were a non-violent group. Lovejoy fought with words and print instead of guns and knives. The anti-slavery society made petitions for the government and held assemblies to share their thoughts with the public. These methods got word out quickly to the people without the use of violence which was very important at this time in history.
Ways the Government Could Have Helped: The Federal government could lend a major hand by abolishing slavery. This would grant Lovejoy his goal and possibly more support. The local government could also have helped by intervening and stopping the mobs that attacked Lovejoy. Some form of protection should have been put in place in order to allow Lovejoy to safely express his opinion. The government could also lend money to help fund the anti-slavery society would make it much bigger and more powerful which would allow it to spread quicker throughout the country.
References:
Owen Lovejoy:
Brother of Elijah Lovejoy. He was a minister and a congressman. He was an abolitionist like his brother and worked on the Underground Railroad. He took over the Illinois anti-slavery society after Elijah died.
Lewis Tappan:
He established the first anti-slavery society in New York. He had very strong morals and was very much against slavery. He donated much of his own money to the organization. Tappan was also a lawyer and defended the Africans in the Amistad controversy which eventually made it to the Supreme Court.
Bibliography
"Anti-Slavery Society." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Ask.com. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAantislavery.htm>.
"Elijah Lovejoy." African American Registry -- Your Source for African American History. African American Registry, 2006. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://www.aaregistry.com/detail.php?id=1471>.
"Elijah Lovejoy." The Beall Mansion. The Beall Mansion, 2004. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://www.beallmansion.com/about/History/AltonHistory/ElijahLovejoy/Arrive sInAlton.html>.
"Lewis Tappan." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Ask.com. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAStappanL.htm>.
"Owen Lovejoy -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 13 July 2009. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Lovejoy>.